Armenia protests Belarusian diplomat’s remarks
June 14, Pozirk. Yerevan has protested remarks by Belarusian foreign ministry spokesman Anatol Hłaz in a note to Minsk, said Ani Badalyan, his Armenian counterpart.
Yesterday, Hłaz commented on a mutual withdrawal of ambassadors for consultations by saying that Belarus is not going to worsen its relations with Armenia “no matter how much the Armenian leadership is pushed to do so by external actors.”
He wished the Armenian people “leaders who will truly think about the future of the country and the well-being of the people.”
He also alleged that the Armenian leadership seeks to “divert public attention from internal problems by portraying an external enemy” and took a “short-sighted position.”
“While expressing wishes of a leadership that thinks about the future of the country, one should have such a leadership. In the case of Belarus, it’s currently indeed a luxury,” Badalyan responded
On June 13, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he and other Armenian officials will not travel to Belarus as long as Alaksandar Łukašenka is in power.
Pashinyan was angered by Łukašenka’s declaration of support for Azerbaijan and his tour of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijani forces captured last fall.
On June 12, Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja welcomed Armenia’s decision to freeze its participation in the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization.
She was commenting on Pashinyan’s statement that individual CSTO members had been plotting against Armenia together with Azerbaijan.
The Armenian leader also announced a possible withdrawal from the bloc.
Tensions flare with Yerevan after Łukašenka’s Karabakh tour
Minsk and Yerevan have recalled their ambassadors amid tension over Belarus’ support for Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he or any other Armenian official will not travel to Belarus as long as Alaksandar Łukašenka …